NEW HOME FOR FASHION WEEK?

FASHION WEEK TO MOVE TO LINCOLN CENTER

New York's Fashion Week begins Friday, and just two days ago Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg made an interesting announcement. Starting in 2010, fashion week will take place in Damrosch Park near Lincoln Center instead of the tents at Bryant Park in midtown Manhattan. The Mayor made the announcement at a conference about the future of New York City hosted by Crain's New York Business and the Partnership for New York City, and he was joined by Council of Fashion Designers of America President Diane von Furstenberg, IMG Fashion Senior Vice President Fern Mallis, Lincoln Center President Reynold Levy and others.

"The fashion industry is a vital part of our City's economy, providing more than 175,000 jobs and generating billions of dollars in wages for New Yorkers annually," said Mayor Bloomberg. "Ensuring the industry's long-term success and promoting Fashion Week, the industry's greatest showcase is more important than ever as we work to retain and create jobs during these difficult times and diversify the City's economy. We were determined to work with the Council of Fashion Designers of America and IMG Fashion to identify a location for Fashion Week that would allow it to grow and thrive in New York City, and we could not have arrived at more ideal location than Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center."

The new venue at Damrosch Park, which is managed by Lincoln Center, will provide about 87,000 square feet of space for the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week shows, compared to the roughly 70,000 square feet available at Bryant Park- a 25 percent increase. The agreement between IMG Fashion and Lincoln Center is for five years. In addition to providing more space in Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center provides ample opportunity for its iconic indoor locations to be used for special events during the shows.

What do you think of what is to be the new home of New York's Fashion Week?